The Reston-headquartered Fairfax County Economic Development Authority has a new leader after supervisors gave outgoing President Victor Hoskins a formal send-off.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors honored Hoskins at its Tuesday, Sept. 29, meeting, recognizing more than seven years at the helm of the FCEDA. Hoskins departed over the summer, and George D. Thomas, co-founder of Connected DMV, started as the authority's new president and CEO in August.

"I consider it a mighty blessing to have come to work for Fairfax," Hoskins told supervisors at the ceremony, as reported by FFXnow.

The FCEDA credits Hoskins with helping secure nearly 64,000 jobs for the county during his tenure. Fairfax County's gross domestic product grew by $47 billion in that stretch, reaching $177 billion, according to Virginia Business. Companies including Microsoft, Google, Meta and Blue Origin announced new locations or expansions in the county on his watch.

Board Chair Jeff McKay said Hoskins led economic development through some of the most difficult times the region has faced. McKay praised Hoskins' emphasis on collaborating with neighboring jurisdictions rather than competing with them.

Hoskins deflected the praise. He credited FCEDA staff for the authority's results, telling supervisors the growth "is not my work."

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck told Hoskins his vision and ability to connect with others were among his greatest strengths.

Before FCEDA

Hoskins succeeded Gerald Gordon as FCEDA president in 2019. Before that, he served as Arlington County's director of economic development, where he helped craft the proposal that brought Amazon's HQ2 to Arlington.

He also formed the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance with neighboring localities in 2019. He has returned to the private sector and plans to do advisory work with family investment offices on large-scale public-private investments by the end of 2026.

New leader's background

The FCEDA announced Thomas's appointment on June 16. He brings more than 25 years of experience in economic development, technology and public-private partnerships.

As head of Connected DMV, Thomas built the organization from a volunteer coalition into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. He previously served as a partner at IBM for more than 17 years and worked as a global director of smart infrastructure at Canadian-based Hatch, Virginia Business reported.

The FCEDA said Thomas's selection reflects the county's focus on artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, national defense and space commercialization. Thomas said in his June appointment statement that Fairfax County is positioned to lead in those industries.